WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Book of Boba Fett.
The Mandalorian season 3 is confirmed to have plenty of new characters, which will help avoid the limitations that came with Book of Boba Fett’s nostalgia-loaded premise. Din Djarin actor Pedro Pascal recently revealed that while there will be plenty of familiar faces in The Mandalorian season 3, there will be “a lot of new” characters, which bodes well for the show’s upcoming installment. Pascal gave no indication as to what viewers can expect of the new characters, but the hope is that they’re actually new, rather than simply new to The Mandalorian.
Although The Book of Boba Fett offered a new look at Star Wars’ typical Tatooine backdrop and further exploration into the mysterious bounty hunter, the Disney+ series was criticized for its extensive cameos of past characters, standalone episodes, and lack of new character development. Two of Boba Fett’s seven episodes either didn’t feature the title character at all or only had him appear in a cameo, with the Star Wars show following previously fleshed-out figures from The Mandalorian or the larger franchise instead. Boba Fett’s first few episodes introduced some intriguing Mos Espa characters, but ultimately pushed such figures aside in favor of nostalgic names like Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Din Djarin and Grogu, R2-D2, and Cad Bane.
While it was exciting to see certain characters like Luke Skywalker back in the franchise and Star Wars: The Clone Wars characters like Cad Bane and Ahsoka in the flesh, having so many previously-explored characters appear in a relatively minor Star Wars show made the universe much too small. Star Wars is comprised of numerous galaxies, species, and stories that have hardly been touched by the franchise, yet Book of Boba Fett’s frivolous nostalgia casting makes the universe appear much less expansive or intriguing in terms of the unknown. Star Wars’ past characters making appearances in the Disney+ shows are incredible when done correctly, but so many in such a small series undermines the notion of the franchise’s vast worldbuilding and stories yet-to-be-told. Such a pattern suggests that Star Wars is struggling to move forward with the franchise’s future, and fears leaving the crutch of its reliably popular past characters behind.
Pedro Pascal’s comments about The Mandalorian season 3 introducing a lot of new characters are thus refreshing for Star Wars’ future, as the newly conceptualized figures have been the primary source of the franchise’s revival after the sequel film trilogy’s controversies. The Mandalorian was the first major Star Wars project to premiere around Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and its success was all the more significant considering it relied on no previous characters. The Mandalorian revitalized Star Wars’ franchise based on its galaxy exploration through bounty hunting and the compelling story of new characters Din Djarin and Grogu, which brought even the most skeptical fans back into the franchise’s court after the sequels. The series then connected back to nostalgic stories when Luke, Ahsoka, and Bo-Katan appeared in The Mandalorian season 2, but was still primarily supported by its original characters.
Book of Boba Fett worked to set up the premise of The Mandalorian season 3, but largely undermined itself as its own captivating series due to its excessive side-steps into other stories. With so many more characters coming in The Mandalorian season 3, it doesn’t have to rely on the nostalgic pull of classic figures like Luke or Ahsoka, and can move forward with a deeper exploration of the two characters who took part in revitalizing the franchise: Mando and Grogu. Following a Jedi and bounty hunter investigating their Mandalorian culture, The Mandalorian season 3 sets up the opportunity to introduce never-before-seen characters with stories who can propel the series’ future on its individual path. The Mandalorian has already debuted plenty of new characters outside of Mando and Grogu that can hold their own, suggesting more spinoff stories on original figures such as Cobb Vanth could be at play. The Disney+ TV shows give Star Wars the opportunity to expand its universe outside of its sentimental confines, and The Mandalorian season 3’s new characters prove it’s furthering this approach.
